British amateur standout Masood Abdulah is another new signing for Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, and is expected to turn pro at 130 pounds sometime in the near future, having had a scheduled Apr. 18 pro debut canceled due to COVID-19.
Abdulah said he’s excited about all that’s going on, but also a little frustrated not being able to fight.
“This has been in the making for a very long time,” Adulah said on The Lockdown Lowdown. “I was supposed to have a fight, which got canceled. I’m excited but at the same time a little bit frustrated, because my fight got canceled.”
With a short amateur career of just two-and-a-half years, Abdulah doesn’t have the huge international amateur achievements, but he was a young fighter those who follow the UK amateur scene were excited about. He’d won some smaller competitions and says he’s changed his style over time, too, looking to use more pressure and power.
“Since my last loss in the amateurs, I’ve changed my style up,” he said. “I used to fight on the back foot, and then I started pressuring people going forward and had a lot more success with it, so I started really walking people down, trying to look for a stoppage or a knockout. Now I’m working on a whole bunch of different stuff with my coach. We’re working on southpaw, switching stances, trying to be a bit more clever with shots.”
Asked about pro fighters near his weight that he enjoys watching, he called featherweight titleholder Josh Warrington “phenomenal,” but it sounds like Gervonta “Tank” Davis has been a real inspiration for him.
“For me, this guy is unbelievable. Immense power, immense strength, and his self-belief is the thing which I look up to the most,” Abdulah said of the American, a two-time titleholder at 130.
“If you look at his interviews about how he talks about Lomachenko, they go to him, ‘Do you reckon you can beat him? and he goes, ‘I know I can beat him, he’s never fought anyone like me.’ He believes it.”
Abdulah also said he signed with Queensberry because he believes it’s the best promoter for him to develop as a pro.
“I can go to most promoters and they would accept me, but it’s whether or not they’re going to take care of me, that’s a whole other story. These guys seem like they will put the time and effort into your career.”
Expect to see Abdulah’s pro debut sometime this summer, possibly behind closed doors as boxing in the UK, as in the United States, looks to get going again in June or July.
“Masood has enjoyed huge success in such a short space of time, and it will be fascinating to see if he can emulate these accomplishments in the pro ranks,” new promoter Warren said in the company’s release about the signing. “Winning what used to be known as a senior ABA title with so little experience suggests that he has got what it takes, and I am looking forward to launching the second phase of his career.”